Daycare foundation found responsible for toddler’s death in Huizen, fined €30,000

The Stichting Kinderopvang Huizen is responsible for the death of a 2-year-old boy on April 3, 2023, the court has ruled. The foundation failed to adequately ensure safety at the toddler daycare 't Kraaltje and has been fined €30,000, of which €25,000 is conditional.

The toddler drowned in a ditch near the daycare center in Huizen. The foundation, which was responsible for the now-closed daycare center, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by the court on Wednesday. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had recommended the same verdict, as well as the imposed fine.

The child was named Amin. He was able to get to the water because he was able to leave the premises. The entrances had not been sufficiently closed off, the district court in Utrecht concluded. The employees of the daycare center knew this, the court stated, because the child had been found outside without supervision once before.

The risks involved in this situation were not included in the safety polices, and the foundation did not do enough to solve the problem, while they could have. The court described the foundation’s actions as “careless and negligent.”

The foundation claimed during the trial that it had its affairs in order and that the organization was, in fact, aware of the danger posed by the water near the daycare.